South African speedster stars at Dundalk The featured Listed Mercury Stakes went off 16 minutes late but it was worth the wait as it produced a cracking contest. Nocturnal Affair took the spoils in a blistering 57.7 seconds under Colm O'Donoghue for David Marnane. Winner of the Portland Handicap at Doncaster in September, Nocturnal Affair held the flying late run of British challenger Breathless Kiss by half a length. Balmont Mast performed more than creditably to finish third a further half a length back whilst the 'jolly' Bannock folded when it mattered most after making the pace and ended up finishing in sixth place. David Marnane said: "He is a lovely horse and the better the race the better he'll be – we're delighted with him. "The ground at York last time just turned a bit soft for him – he wants it quicker. "He'll go to Dubai and we'll map out a campaign there for him. There are plenty of turf races out there for him. "I'd love to get him into a race on World Cup night." Marnane detailed Nocturnal Affair's history in a stable tour back in June by saying: "He is a recent addition to the yard after a stint with Herman Brown for the 2011 Dubai Carnival. "He was not disgraced in two competitive handicaps at Meydan. He showed plenty of ability in South Africa, winning four times including twice at Grade 3 level. "He finished less than seven lengths behind champion sprinter JJ The Jet Plane in a Grade 1 12 months ago. An interesting recruit to the yard, he should return to action later in the summer."
